Chapter 600 - 598: Close But Far Away

Chapter 600: Chapter 598: Close But Far Away

The sword strike was completely unexpected!

It was silent, traceless, and came without any warning.

Moreover, the Sword Qi it carried was astonishingly, incomparably powerful.

Even a being as mighty as the Holy Mountain Master’s Dharma Avatar felt a true, mortal threat.

This Sword Qi originated from the Magical Artifact Space within Jiang Jichen’s Poison-Devouring Pearl Fragment, unleashed by the hand of the mysterious masked woman.

At this moment, the mysterious masked woman held an ancient sword, her bearing as ethereal as an immortal.

With a single strike, she created the sensation that her Sword Intent filled the entire world.

It was as if a Sword Immortal had descended upon the mortal realm, her power limitless.

This sword technique was one she had comprehended from the *Ancient Sword Scripture*!

The mysterious masked woman had spent many days in Jiang Jichen’s Magical Artifact Space in deep contemplation.

Far longer than even Hua Xiaoling had.

The insights she had gained were absolutely unimaginable.

Her strike came at the precise moment she had comprehended the Sword Dao, when her Sword Intent was condensed to its absolute peak.

Therefore, this first strike was also her strongest.

Barring any surprises, this one attack was enough to annihilate the Holy Mountain Master’s Dharma Avatar.

Jiang Jichen had previously dared to boast about slaying the Holy Mountain Master’s avatar precisely because the mysterious masked woman had awakened from her study of the *Ancient Sword Scripture*.

She had informed Jiang Jichen that she possessed a single sword strike, her Sword Intent condensed to its limit and begging to be unleashed—a strike capable of slaying a Low Tier Nascent Soul Ancestor.

And so, before the crack in the Human Emperor’s Prohibition, Jiang Jichen had declared his intent to slay the Holy Mountain Master’s Dharma Avatar.

"If it proves impossible, don’t force it!"

However, a sliver of unease bloomed in Jiang Jichen’s heart, prompting him to give the mysterious masked woman this one reminder.

At this moment, faced with the sword strike, the expression on the Holy Mountain Master’s Dharma Avatar changed drastically.

SPLURT!

The mysterious masked woman’s attack was terrifyingly powerful and incredibly sudden.

The Holy Mountain Master’s Dharma Avatar hadn’t anticipated it at all; caught by surprise, he couldn’t dodge or defend in time.

And so, his body was sliced in two by the sword!

A Dharma Avatar was no different from a real body. Now that it was severed, blood geysered into the sky, and the very heavens and earth trembled.

A terrifying Anomaly rose from the Holy Mountain.

The Holy Mountain Master was truly enraged!

From within the Holy Mountain, the Master’s furious voice echoed out: "How dare you plot against me and destroy my Dharma Avatar! You’re courting death!"

"The Dharma body is indestructible! Supreme Sword—kill!"

In his fury, the Holy Mountain Master was actually controlling the avatar’s power from atop the Holy Mountain, fighting a battle from miles away.

He was truly powerful to the extreme.

Following his cold shout, the bisected Dharma Avatar suddenly disintegrated, transforming into countless motes of dazzling Holy Light.

This Holy Light then condensed into a Light Saber, held high in the air, immense in size.

It chopped down through the air toward the mysterious masked woman.

VMMMM!

The space all around Jiang Jichen and the mysterious masked woman began to fracture, forming cracks like a spiderweb.

The Supreme Sword was terrifying beyond measure.

Even though it was a long-distance attack, this sword strike contained the condensed, strongest power of the Dharma Avatar.

Of course, it could only unleash this single strike.

But that one strike possessed the power to destroy everything.

"Chen’Er, be careful!"

But just then, the mysterious masked woman suddenly cried out.

At the same time, her figure flashed like lightning, even faster than Jiang Jichen.

She was burning her life force. Her entire delicate body radiated a brilliant glow of Spiritual Power.

She was also channeling her Sword Intent, preparing to unleash an even more powerful strike than before.

Only then could she hope to withstand the Holy Mountain Master’s Supreme Sword!

How could Jiang Jichen not know he was in mortal danger, poised between life and death?

He was about to activate his Life Potential and unleash an all-out, desperate attack.

But when he heard that familiar voice, he suddenly froze.

So many times, that one person had haunted his waking thoughts and dreams.

Her voice, her face—they were etched into his heart, never to be erased.

’Aunt!’

Hearing that voice, Jiang Jichen was struck by a sudden realization.

But the mysterious masked woman was already standing in front of him, meeting the Holy Mountain Master’s Supreme Sword head-on.

Jiang Jichen wanted to stop her, but he had been stunned for a moment, and that single moment of hesitation meant he was too late!

In the end, the mysterious masked woman, with a sword strike fueled by her burning Life Energy, clashed with the Holy Mountain Master’s Supreme Sword.

CLANG!

The void trembled, and a monstrous wave of Sword Intent rolled out.

The ringing of swords echoed between heaven and earth.

The mysterious masked woman was knocked back, her body disintegrating, a soft white Spiritual Light blooming from within her.

The Holy Mountain Master’s Supreme Sword was also destroyed, its Holy Light dissipating into the world.

The final result was that the mysterious masked woman, having burned her Power of Life, would ultimately fade away into nothingness.

And the Holy Mountain Master’s Dharma Avatar was, for all intents and purposes, destroyed on the banks of the Extinct Spirit River.

Jiang Jichen’s eyes were now locked on that retreating figure.

Amidst the storm of Sword Qi, the veil on the mysterious masked woman’s face had been torn to shreds.

She revealed a face of peerless beauty!

Her delicate features were like a painting, her eyes like autumn pools. Was this not the aunt who had haunted his dreams?

Yes, the mysterious masked woman... she was Jiang Ling’Er.

She had been by his side all this time, yet he had never recognized her.

Close But Far Away, a single step as distant as Tianyao!

’But why wouldn’t Aunt reveal her true face and let me know it was her?’

Moreover, Jiang Jichen had never before sensed a single trace of Jiang Ling’Er’s aura on the mysterious masked woman.

"Aunt, you..."

Jiang Jichen flashed forward and wrapped his arms around Jiang Ling’Er’s body.

However, all he embraced was a floating, soft white ball of light.

It was growing lighter, dissipating.

Perhaps, after it vanished, Jiang Ling’Er would cease to exist in this world.

She would scatter between heaven and earth.

"Chen’Er, it’s really you!"

"It’s so good to see you!"

"Don’t be sad. This is only an avatar."

"But, it’s also thanks to this avatar that my consciousness was able to awaken."

"Otherwise, I would have lived on in a daze forever, and I would have never recognized you."

...

Jiang Ling’Er’s body had now turned into a ball of light, about to disperse.

That would also be the moment her consciousness faded away.

But at this moment, she felt no sorrow, only the joy and delight of seeing Jiang Jichen again.

Jiang Jichen, however, had now completely calmed down.

A moment ago, his mind had been in turmoil from the shock of suddenly seeing Jiang Ling’Er.

He could already tell that something was very wrong with Jiang Ling’Er’s state.

And besides, this was only an avatar.

However, Jiang Jichen knew that the consciousness within this avatar was key to whether he could awaken the real Jiang Ling’Er in the future.

"Aunt, don’t worry. Chen’Er is here. No one can take you away."

As he spoke, Jiang Jichen’s hands blurred, forming a mysterious Seal Technique.

A Seven-Colored Spiritual Light began to flow as the skin on Jiang Jichen’s body started to crack and his hair lost its luster.

This was a sign of his life essence draining away.

"Chen’Er, what are you doing? Stop!"

Jiang Ling’Er’s body had already dissipated; only a ball of her consciousness remained, crying out anxiously.

"Aunt, please don’t worry. Chen’Er knows what he’s doing!"

"The Dragon Clan has gone too far! So what if she’s a Dragon Clan Princess? Aunt, you are the true owner of that body!"

"Aunt, don’t you worry. Chen’Er has everything under control. You just need to sleep for a while. When you wake up, you will have returned to your own body."

At this moment, Jiang Jichen’s body continued to crack as his Essence Qi drained away, pouring into the seven-colored Sealing Technique.

And yet, his voice held an unquestionable confidence and power.